1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an active lock system with methods to authenticate users and provide guidance to operate the lock with security and privacy protection. The active lock is communication enabled using wireless communication technology responding to wireless phone calls to perform user identification verification and convenient and secure operation of the lock.
2. Description of the Art
In a society that security and privacy are important elements of life, people need locks for protecting their properties. Hence, numerous inventions on secured locks have been advanced ranging from mechanic locks, for example, bolt lock and double lock, to electronic locks, based on input device and electronic circuit to control the lock mechanism and to remote-control locks involving transmitter and receivers using coded signal such as those used in the car industry and security industry. Given the world is already equipped with various secured locks, mechanical, electronic and electromagnetic programmable locks; a simple and inexpensive system, based on the double lock concept is a desirable way to add security and privacy protection to a locked property and offer convenient but secure access control to such locked properties by keeping the key or code to the locked property locked up by another lock. This practice has been used in the real estate industry known as a “lock box”. The lock box usually contains a ‘key’ or ‘code’ to the already existing secured lock system but the lock box itself is controlled by another ‘key’ using conventional mechanical locks or controlled by a ‘code’ using resettable keyless locks, such as push button pins, keypads, rotating dials and the like.
This double lock concept protects the integrity of the original permanent lock system by avoiding duplications of many keys to the original lock. An inexpensive and portable lock may be used to provide an access to the key of the original lock system for permitted personnel. However, an operational deficiency of the system often causes inconvenience and security compromise. For example, in the real estate industry, many keys have to be made for a lock box placed on a house for sale since these lock box keys have to be distributed to many real estate agents to allow them to show the house to their clients at different times. This practice definitely causes inconvenience. Any agent wishes to show several houses needs to visit the listing realtor's office to get a key for each lock box placed on each house the agent's clients may be interested in. There are potential security problems with too many keys circulating. A more sophisticated lock box uses a keyless lock system, but it still requires an agent to either go to the office to obtain the code before visiting a house or to call the office when the agent is at the house to obtain the code to open the lock box. The latter scenario presents a security exposure since one can not verify who is at the lock box (house) requesting the code. Requiring all agents to visit the office to get the codes for lock boxes not only causes tremendous inconvenience to the agents but also requires a person sitting at the office seven days a week to respond to the code requests by hundreds of agents for hundreds of houses listed with the office. The face-to-face verification of agent identification is also time consuming. Therefore, it is very desirable to introduce an automated system to manage the lock boxes and to access the locked properties.
This invention relates to an active lock system and its secure operating procedures having remote control capability via wireless communication. A wireless phone receiver and an information display and processing unit are integrated with a conventional keyless lock to provide the necessary functions of communication, information entry, identification verification and automated management of access control in an unique way. Operational methods of the active lock system not only provides security and privacy protection but also offers convenience to owners and users in terms of setup, operation and management of the system. The active lock system can be used as a double lock such as in the real estate application as a lock box as well as a single lock for other applications such as for protecting truck containers, warehouse and storage facilities. The lock mechanism itself in this lock system can be flexibly selected according to the applications desired. The skilled in the design and manufacture of locks can apply the present invention to any existing keyless lock.